The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




THe Filmmaker's Handbook, August 28, 2009
By S. Hupp
Great book for any1, novice or veteran, interested in film production. very thorough and well-written.



An excellent overview of the business of filmmaking, July 4, 2009
By Nathan Andersen (Florida)
For those who love films but don't really know what's involved in their getting made, this is an excellent guide. Of course, it's even more indispensible for those who hope one day to make a film but aren't currently involved in the business. I emphasize "business" here because this isn't really a guide to the art of making films; you could imagine a similar book called "The Entrepeneur's Handbook: A comprehensive guide to establishing your own business in the age of the internet" and it would cover the same types of topics. For a guide to the art of filmmaking/directing, my favorite book is "Film Directing Fundamentals" by Nicholas Proferes. But for the practical and day to day and big picture of the business of filmmaking, "The Filmmaker's Handbook" is Indispensible: an excellent and thorough introduction and guide to the processes, the people, the arrangements, the contracts, the details that go into making films, especially independent films.

I required this book as one of the textbooks for my film history course on "American Independent Film" because it seemed to me there was no better way to indicate to students how much is involved in getting films made. It's a very helpful piece of the course and gives students a perspective that they wouldn't get from my own emphasis on film theory and criticism.



TIME TO GET RELIGIOUS, June 30, 2009
By Anthony Hampton
i wondered before buying this if this book was hype. often called teh 'bible of filmmaking", i was hoping this wasnt some cheesy exagerration. It's not. If I had to suggest ONE book for a newbie filmmaker to buy, it'd be this one. Its simply the most detailed, clear, in depth book on the totatlity of filmmaking on the market.

with that said, this is NOT an advanced filmmaker's bible. this is a newbie's bible. for something advanced, look elsewhere. but for a thorough, well rounded technical guide on all aspects of film/video making...this is your book. I'd look nowhere else. seriously.





Deeper Than The Usual Fare of Still Photography Books, June 4, 2009
By The Blood of Roses (Florida)
I would encourage anyone from amateur (photographers committed by passion) to professional (photographers committed by career choice) to include within their ongoing study curriculum source material covering cinematography. And, this book should be first on their reading list! It is a perfect compendium of technique, theory, equipment and practice.

What impresses me is how much more deeply the authors explain basic concepts, beyond what you find in most of the regular digital photography books currently on the market; and, the explanations are so succinct. Take, for instance, when discussing depth of field and distance compression and expansion in perspective, the choice between changing the camera to subject distance or changing focal lenght to control the size of the subject in the frame, pages 142 to 146, makes an enormous difference in the way the image will look. It is explained that,

" ... as the camera is moved closer, the relative size of foreground and background objects increase at different rates. [...] Perspective may be thought of as the rate at which objects become smaller the farther they are from the camera."

This isn't your ususal dslr concept of camera to subject distance and its effect on the still image, but it goes a great deal further to better conceptualize, visualize and help dslr photographers understand how to consciously and intelligently compose scenes to communicate subject character and thematic content. The authors then go on to explicitly demonstrate this concept through comparing and contrasting different photographs, and diagrams.

Another instance of this succint and analytical style of writing is near by, between pgs. 151-153, concerning applying focusing to the image and determining depth of field:

"In the ideal (theoretical) lens, there is only one subject plane in focus-everything in front of or behind this plane is out of focus. In the case of the portrait, if the man's eyes were exactly 10 feet from the camera, his nose and ears would be out of focus. Fortunately, with real lenses the area that looks in focus is more generous. A zone (called the depth of field) extends from in front of the subject to behind the subject, delineatiing the area of acceptable sharpness (see Fig. 4-8). In other words, the depth of field is the zone, measured in terms of near distance and far distance from the camera, where the image appears acceptably sharp."

Illustration follows to assist the visualization. These are just a couple of examples of the analytical and clear vision with which the book in its entirety has been written. These are the kinds of explanations for which I have been searching; and, no doubt, which you would welcome in lieu of sitting in a classroom listening to a professor lecture.

I bought this book after browsing at Borders for something to help me understand how to use cinematography techniques to produce still photos that look more cinematic. I got lucky that night! But you will find even more luck getting it from Amazon, since the price may be about half of what I paid at Borders. It's a great deal to get so much expert guidance for Amazon prices!



Nuts and Bolts of Filmmaking, May 28, 2009
By D. Vonder Embse (Dayton, OH USA)
I have enjoyed reading this book. It is the nuts and bolts of film making. It is a step up from a technical manual, but it does gloss over the feel and philosophy of filmmaking. I would recommend this book to serious independent filmmakers. It is probably too basic for professional filmmakers and too technical for shooting home-movies. This really nails that middle ground.